Winnipeg | 291 Bannatyne Ave | Maws Garage & Sanford Building | In Development

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CentreVenture’s Plan to Double Downtown Population Launches with nearly 300 New Homes in Heritage Buildings
St. Charles Hotel and Maw’s Garage to be Redeveloped

A major revitalization of the St. Charles Hotel and Maw’s Garage headline a new wave of downtown housing announced today

CentreVenture Development Corporation unveiled its Strategic Plan to double downtown Winnipeg’s population by 2050, immediately kickstarting the effort by announcing $4.65 million in funding for 297 new downtown homes.

“Since 2022, I have been clear that we need to turn vacant commercial space into housing to bring life back to our downtown,” said Mayor Scott Gillingham. “Today, we are delivering on that commitment. These investments will turn vacant heritage buildings into hundreds of new homes, bringing the ‘feet on the street’ we need to revitalize our core.”

CentreVenture’s Strategic Plan aligns with CentrePlan 2050 and the Housing Accelerator Fund. It is built around five goals focused on unlocking development, strengthening partnerships, activating redevelopment, building organizational capacity, and advancing equity and reconciliation.

Key outcomes include targeted residential incentives, adaptive reuse of underutilized buildings, strengthened intergovernmental collaboration, and a focus on inclusive, vibrant urban neighbourhoods. The plan supports the CentrePlan 2050 target of 750 new downtown housing units annually.

297 New Downtown Housing Units Announced

As an exciting first step, CentreVenture announced the creation of 297 new residential units in downtown Winnipeg through an investment of $4.65 million, supported by the City of Winnipeg, the Government of Canada’s Housing Accelerator Fund, and the Gail Parvin Hammerquist Fund. Of these units, 106 will be affordable housing.

Funded projects include:

• St. Charles Hotel, 235 Notre Dame Avenue — 140 units
• MAWS Garage / Sandford Development, 291 Bannatyne Avenue — 114 units
• 290 Garry Street — 29 units
• Alloway Lofts, 179 McDermot Avenue — 14 units

“These projects demonstrate how strategic investment can unlock underused buildings and deliver meaningful housing results,” said Rochelle Squires, CEO of CentreVenture Development Corporation. “By partnering with all levels of government and the private sector, we’re helping create a downtown that is more livable, inclusive, and economically strong.”

CentreVenture thanked its funding partners, including CMHC, the Government of Canada, and the City of Winnipeg, for their continued support of downtown revitalization.

“The Government of Canada is committed to increasing housing supply where it’s needed most,” said Ginette Lavack, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services and Member of Parliament for St. Boniface—St. Vital. “By supporting residential conversions and downtown revitalization through the Housing Accelerator Fund, we’re helping create more affordable homes while strengthening communities. It’s especially exciting to see these new housing opportunities being created in and around Winnipeg’s dynamic Exchange District.”

CentreVenture Development Corporation

Maws Garage & Sanford Building
Location: 291 Bannatyne Ave
Developer: RIDGIX Building Solutions Inc
Architect: Northern Sky Architecture Inc
Status: In development
Documents: VARIANCE-April 24, 2025 | Appeal-June 11, 2025 | Heritage Permit Application | Historical Reports for Buildings
Media:

• Neighbours concerned by redevelopment plan for Exchange District building-CTV Winnipeg
• Apartment, commercial space proposal for historic Exchange buildings moves a step forward-Winnipeg Free Press
• Property and Development-2025 06 11
• $88-M plan for downtown-Winnipeg Free Press
• 4 downtown heritage buildings to be converted to residential housing with $4.7M in public funds–CBC News Manitoba

Description: The historic Maw's Garage (built in 1907) and the attached Sanford Building (a one-storey remnant of an 1890 four-storey structure damaged by fire in the 1940s) at 291 Bannatyne Avenue in the Exchange District are set for redevelopment into a nine-storey residential addition atop the existing heritage buildings, creating 114 new housing units, as announced by CentreVenture Development Corporation. The project preserves key heritage elements, including the original foundation and structural framing of both buildings (with refurbishment and reinforcement of steel trusses over Maw's Garage for life safety compliance in the commercial space below), while adding significant density through a new upper structure supported on independent micro piles to avoid loading the historic fabric. Ground-level enhancements include redeveloping the main floor of Maw's Garage into two new commercial retail units (CRUs) and 36 automated parking stalls, converting the Sanford Building's main floor into a new CRU space, lobby entry, elevators, and support areas, plus new facades on both sides of Maw's Garage. This project is a recipient of the Housing Accelerator Fund Capital Grant Incentive & the Gail Parvin Hammerquist Fund City-wide Heritage Program.
Permits: